MINI-MEASUREMENT DISPLAY FOR DIGITAL MULTIMETER

• US 20090128125A1
• Filed: 08/14/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Capoccia, Brian, Ferrante, Joseph, Berdan, Lindsey, GARLAND, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,198,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/115
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/125 for digital multimeters

Abstract

A digital multimeter displays a miniature version of a live actual reading of the multimeter. The miniature version typically appears after a larger version of the live actual reading is displaced by other display elements. The miniature version of the live actual reading may be accompanied by a warning icon or other graphical symbol to alert a user of a potentially hazardous electrical condition.

Claims

1. A digital multimeter, comprising:

a display for displaying measurement values associated with at least one electrical characteristic of an electrical circuit;

a user interface for receiving a user input to select a mode governing a display format of the measurement values;

a memory for storing an indication of the mode; and

a processor for retrieving the indication of the mode from the memory, determining measurement values associated with the electrical circuit based on input to the multimeter, and generating display data for the measurement values in accordance with the mode,

wherein, when the mode is a live-measurement mode, live actual measurement values are displayed in a normal font size in a central portion of the display, and when the mode is not a live-measurement mode, live actual measurement values are displayed in a smaller than normal font size in a status bar in a peripheral portion of the display while other measurement values are displayed in the central portion of the display.

2. The digital multimeter of claim 1, wherein the memory additionally stores a threshold value, and when the processor determines that any live actual measurement value displayed in the status bar is greater than the stored threshold value, a warning icon is displayed in the status bar near the live actual measurement value.

3. The digital multimeter of claim 2, wherein the warning icon is a lightning bolt symbol.

4. The digital multimeter of claim 2, wherein the warning icon or the display flashes and/or is accompanied by a warning sound.

5. The digital multimeter of claim 1, wherein the live actual measurement values are displayed in the status bar when the mode is a hold mode and a frozen past measurement is displayed in the central portion of the display.

6. The digital multimeter of claim 1, wherein the status bar further includes at least one of a battery strength indicator, a time, and a date.

7. A digital multimeter comprising:

one or more inputs for acquiring electrical measurements based on electrical properties;

a display having a first, centrally-located region and a second, peripherally-located region, wherein the display is configured to display a primary reading value of an electrical measurement in the first region or second region.

8. The digital multimeter of claim 7, wherein the display simultaneously displays (i) a primary reading value of an electrical measurement and (ii) a derivative reading value of the electrical measurement, a dialog, and/or a menu.

9. The digital multimeter of claim 8, wherein, when the derivative reading value is displayed, the primary reading value and the derivative reading value are based upon the same electrical property.

10. The digital multimeter of claim 7, wherein the first region of the display is larger in size and shows readings in larger font than the second region of the display.

11. The digital multimeter of claim 7, wherein the second region displays the primary reading value and the first region displays one or more of:

a derivative reading value, a dialog, a menu, a past frozen measurement value.

12. The digital multimeter of claim 7, wherein the multimeter can be set to display a warning symbol accompanying the primary reading value when the primary reading value is greater than a predetermined limit.

13. The digital multimeter of claim 12, wherein the warning symbol is a miniature lightning bolt symbol.

14. The digital multimeter of claim 12, wherein the warning symbol flashes and/or is accompanied by an alarm.

15. The digital multimeter of claim 7, wherein the primary reading value is a relative value indicating a difference between an electrical condition and a reference value, and the primary reading value is displayed in the second region.

16. The digital multimeter of claim 15, wherein the reference value is displayed in the first region.

17. The digital multimeter of claim 15, wherein an icon is displayed in the second region to indicate that the primary reading value is a relative value.

18. A method of operating a digital multimeter, the method comprising:

displaying live measurements within a main area of a display of the multimeter;

detecting whether a user has selected a mode for the multimeter;

upon detecting that the user has selected a mode for the multimeter, retrieving, from a memory, display parameters corresponding to the selected mode;

determining whether the display parameters indicate that the live measurements have been removed from the main area of the display;

upon determining that the display parameters indicate that the live measurements have been removed from the main area of the display, dynamically reconfiguring a status bar within the display to include a miniature representation of the live measurements.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

retrieving, from the memory, a threshold value;

comparing the live measurements with the threshold value; and

upon detecting that one or more of the live measurements exceeds the threshold value, displaying a warning icon on the display.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the warning icon is displayed in the status bar.